BOOK REVIEW: Story of the House of Representatives more than the sum of its parts
“The House” by Robert V. Remini is a purely historical text; I’m not going to lie to you. I know that for many this suggests a dry and academic bore of a book, but that assumption is wrong.
“The House” is not merely a book about the House of Representatives; it is a compilation of characters, conflict, compromise and corruption. “The House” is not merely a book of facts; it is a book of stories, the very ones that shaped contemporary America.
One great asset of this book is that it serves as a brief overview of our nation’s history. It is a sound reminder and unifier of U.S. history for history buffs and a great informer for historical know-nothings.
The author, Robert Remini, is a lifelong historian who primarily worked on books concerning individuals. Most notably is his work on President Jackson (the guy on the $20 bill) but also he has written about Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John Quincy Adams and even Joseph Smith.
Remini’s habit of writing about individuals transfers over to this his latest book. The purpose of the book is obviously to tell the history of an institution, namely the House of Representatives. The truth however is that the institution is made up solely of individuals and so you see the House of Representatives from that perspective.
One problem that I did not have with this book, but that others might have, is that some terms and incidences are referred to in the text that are not explained. If you do not know politics or history fairly well you may have to do some research to fully understand all the issues that are discussed.
In the rear of this text is a collection of appendixes which include lists of all Speakers of the House, all majority and minority leaders, as well as the part about party whips. Also in the appendix are explanations of various House functions that prove rather informative.
So far as history books are concerned “The House” is a fascinating read. If you want to understand American democracy you must understand the House of Representatives, this book explains just that.
Bret James is a book critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments and
questions can be sent to him
at brjames@cc.usu.edu.